The Pittsburgh Steelers began the NFL’s free agency period with a bang, releasing veteran linebacker Lamarr Woodley and signing safety Mike Mitchell. The release of Woodley was widely anticipated, even called inevitable, and gave the cash-strapped Steelers necessary space under the salary cap.

The first order of business for general manager Kevin Colbert was to add cost-effective talent to the secondary with veteran starter Ryan Clark on his way out. Mitchell will be paired with Pro Bowler Troy Polamalu, who last week signed a new three-year deal to presumably finish his career in Pittsburgh.

Mitchell, 26, emerged as a starter on a Carolina Panthers defense that ranked second in the NFL in total defense last season. He recorded four sacks and four interceptions and ranked fourth on the team with 67 tackles. Originally drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft, Mitchell spent one season in Carolina before signing with the Steelers.

With Woodley out of the mix, the Steelers have completed a youth movement at the outside linebacker positions. Jason Worilds, 26, emerged as a force in the second half of last season and was designated with the $9.754 million transition tag, giving the Steelers five days to match offers from any other team. By releasing Woodley, a path was also cleared for first-round pick Jarvis Jones to earn a starting job in 2014.

Pittsburgh also got good news from veteran cornerback Ike Taylor, who agreed to a $4.25 million pay cut, from $7 million to $2.75 million, to stay with the team. Taylor didn’t have many choices, either take less money or be outright released, but opted to stay and finish his career for the Rooney family and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau.

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The return of Taylor and the signing of Mitchell gives the Steelers more options leading up to the NFL draft in May. While still in need of young talent in the secondary and along the defensive line, there’s less urgency for a rookie to make an immediate impact in LeBeau’s complex zone-blitz scheme.

The Steelers have more work to do, but are off to a productive start this offseason. They’ve committed to their best defensive player (Worilds), brought back a “lifer” in Taylor at a more reasonable salary and landed a productive safety (Mitchell) in the prime of his career.